Metroid: Heir of Aran
by Ninmai700
Summary: It's been 13 years since the death of Samus Aran. After her sacrifice, the dark forces of the galaxy have had plenty of time to regroup and grow stronger. The Galactic Federation is significantly weaker. However, a 16 year-old orphan on Earth with only a first name rises up to the challenge. This story follows her as she learns to fight and discovers her true identity.
1. Sector 47

**I: Sector 47**

Samantha knew very little. Having mostly grown up alone in the poor streets of Sector 47, she never knew family. She never knew friends, she never knew comfort, and she most certainly never knew who she was. Her earliest memory was faint and unclear, tainted by years of hope and longing:  
A middle-aged woman holding her in her arms, singing some sort of lullaby. She had her same long blonde hair and cool turquoise eyes, with a smile that seemed both joyous and sad.

Of course, this didn't help much. A lot of the orphans in the 47th Sector had similar memories and there was no shortage of blonde women on Earth. There was an unspoken agreement among the children and those around them that their parents had abandoned them on purpose; that they were unable to care for them in such poverty. Samantha, however, was convinced that her parents had been forced to leave her there. She was left with 5,000 Credits and a standard rechargeable Federation-issued handgun. She was then left in the care of a man who'd insist she call him "Uncle Kreatz", even though they both knew they weren't related. Although he did admit that he knew who her mother was and why she left, he adamantly refused to ever divulge any of this information. He ran a mildly successful bar on the edge of 48th up until Samantha was 8 years old.

One of those days, as she helped clean the tables and sweep the floors, a large man in a bright blue Federation uniform suddenly appeared at the doorway. Uncle Kreatz had told her to hide until the man went away. She couldn't hear what they were saying while she was in the cupboard, but she understood their shouting as a fight. After a while the man left and Kreatz opened the cupboard to tell her that he would be taking a vacation far from Earth, and that she finally had permission to use both the gun and the 5,000 Credits.

Kreatz never came back from his trip. It was then that she was forced to learn to survive alone, as the money hadn't lasted long. Kreatz had home-schooled her and taught her the basics of fighting, but it was nothing compared to the hardships of reality.  
Samantha often wondered if Kreatz was still alive somewhere and he just forgot about her. His previous behavior would suggest otherwise, but then why wouldn't he come back? The same question went with her mother, but most people around her were pretty convinced she was just dead. Samantha didn't like to think of this, but it seemed like the most realistic answer.

Year 2111 of the History of the Cosmos. Samantha recently turned 16 (Kreatz knew her actual birthday as well) and now gazed at the gray landscape of her city from the roof of a residential building.

There had been an unusual amount of Federation activity in the lower Sectors lately. Their cool blue vehicles were seen daily under the sky, contrasting against its warm orange colors. Even now, a large ship descended from the clouds to land in the middle of Sector 47. Samantha found this odd, as the Federation didn't usually visit the people of her sector.

She frowned and pulled back her long blonde hair into a ponytail. She then adjusted her worn combat boots and hid her pistol on the back of her black cargo pants. Her attire also included a gray shirt and a dirty navy blue vest, which was were also stolen around the same time as the firearm and the pants. She studied the ground below her with her cold green eyes and planned her descent.

If there was something Samantha loved to do, it was exploring. She never had the pleasures of entertainment and she was mostly restricted to Kreatz's bar during her childhood. As a teenager, most of her time not spent eating, stealing or sleeping was spent discovering every nook and cranny in the city. This turned out to be very useful in situations where she had to escape people chasing her.

Another very useful attribute Samantha had was her outstanding agility and flexibility. Whether she was in a fight, running away or sneaking into a guarded place, her almost superhuman abilities proved to be her greatest weapon. She knew how athletically superior to others she was since she was very young, but she never questioned it. Kreatz made it seem completely normal.

Now, she used her gifts to leap between buildings, jumping and sliding around obstacles while losing almost no speed at all. Everything around her turned into a gray blur as she focused completely on the obstacles before her. Any normal person would never jump a gap between two tall buildings without slowing down or looking below, but she was no normal girl. The combination of her athletic skills and her knowledge of the land prevented her from falling and meeting an early death.

She could clearly see the bright lights coming from the Federation ship now, its sirens ringing as the people below came to find the origin of the commotion.

Finally, Samantha arrived to the ship's landing spot in the central plaza. In the middle, the closest people to the ship were a large beast of a man and four Federation soldiers. The rest of the soldiers made a protective circle around the man and his ship. They held out what seemed to be riot shields and knelt down in front of hundreds (soon to be thousands) of Sector 47 inhabitants. In turn, they pressed against the shields and stood on the tip of their toes, eager to know why such a large amount of Federation officers were suddenly on their soil. The place was a mess of yelling and unhappy conversations overlapping one another until their words were nigh impossible to comprehend.

 _ **"SILENCE!"**_

With a single word, the maelstrom of disgruntled mumbling came to a sudden stop. It came from the creature in the middle, who was now holding a device that looked like a cross between a walkie-talkie and a microphone.

 _"I have not come here to impede your daily activities."_

He began, slowly coming closer to the crowd.

 _"As you all know, the situation of the galaxy is very grim. 13 years since the death of the legendary Samus Aran, the malevolent forces of the galaxy have grown stronger than ever before, unlike the Federation's."_

Samantha had heard of Samus Aran before. How not to? All her action-packed tales of grandeur, her stories of defeating Space Pirates, exploding entire planets, killing ancient evils, her legends gave everyone on Earth hope. There was not a single person there that didn't know her name. Adding to her adventures, there was the fact that she was in fact a woman, giving her even more mystique and respect. Only a select few knew what she even looked like under the armor but all young girls grew up wanting to be like her.

Samantha, however, wasn't very impressed. She grew up in the years succeeding her death and there was pretty much no sign of Samus ever existing on Sector 47. Who's to say she wasn't just Federation propaganda, pushing young children everywhere to join their forces? There were pictures of her, sure, but she was always just standing still in them, masked by her armor. Countless times Samantha would deny Samus Aran ever existed, while the others around her tried to prove her wrong. No one succeeded in convincing her.

 _"The truth of the matter is, the Federation isn't strong enough to combat the Space Pirates anymore. We're running short on soldiers and their numbers aren't getting any smaller. We're in dire need of new recruits, no matter which Sector they come from. We will stay here for a total of 24 hours, during which you are all invited to board the transport ship in order to get to the Galactic Federation's headquarters."_

He said the last few words firmly, with a sense of pride that was uncommon among Federation soldiers and citizens of Earth.

 _"The officers holding shields will now distribute informational pamphlets. I wish you all a good day."_

With that, he tipped his star-spangled cap and turned to his ship, his long black cape gracefully following his movements.

Like most people living in her sector, Samantha held a grudge against the Federation. About half a century ago, before even the age of Samus Aran, humanity was threatened by many of the same enemies they have today. Space Pirates, Kriken, greedy bounty hunters, they were all in a long intergalactic war with the Federation. This pushed them to take funds that would normally go to the maintenance of the sectors and give them to their military. This destroyed Sector 47, which wasn't doing very well already. Eventually, its inhabitants started to get violent in their protests against the Federation and the area got more and more dangerous until they removed all Federation presence in the sector. Officers refused to patrol people that attacked them on sight. Without officers, the place quickly became notorious for being unlawful, dangerous and poor. They were no longer funded by the Federation, they were extremely hostile towards them, and they no longer had much reason to follow rules.

Samantha learned the story quickly in her youth. Like those around her, she blamed the Federation for the pitiful state of her home and wasn't looking forward to joining them.

As expected, most people left as soon as the beast-man finished his last sentence. The masses headed back to wherever they came from, flowing between the buildings like rivers. Surprisingly, there was a handful of people who took a pamphlet and approached the ship.

Then again, why not leave this hellhole to live in the comfort of Federation HQ? There you never have to worry about whether you will eat or not...

"Wait, is that...Xavi?"

Samantha spotted the young man with black hair and tan skin eyeing a pamphlet with a smirk permanently plastered onto his face. Yes, Xavier Delenum had always boasted about how ready he was to join the Federation and live in his comfy chambers, ordering food whenever he pleased. He was one of the orphans that Samantha had met during her childhood, but by far the one that caused her the most trouble. His pride soared higher than his actual skills for the most part, landing him in many situations in which he would've been dead had it not been for his friends. Despite how short his list of accomplishments actually was, he always seemed to have a flock of loyal friends at his side, something Samantha never understood.

It was not that surprising then, to see him board the ship and cross his arms behind his head, probably dreaming of a large white bed. She, on the other hand, had already made up her mind. These people only cared for war and they caused her to grow up in a terrible environment. Besides, she didn't find it very hard to steal and do jobs for other people. Granted, most of her jobs dealt with beating someone up or finding someone and then beating them up, so it's not like she didn't have experience.

No, she was much more interested in stealing whatever valuables were on that ship. Federation technology was usually very costly.

She eyed all the officers and their weapons, trying to find a way in without being spotted. The most expensive hardware turned out to be their assault rifles, which were slung across every soldier's shoulder and firmly grasped in their hands.

This would not be easy.

Time to plan. She could jump straight from the roof and land on one of the soldiers, but that wouldn't give her enough time to remove the gun from his hands and run away. A straightforward approach was safer. Yes, she could do the classic handshake tactic.

Confident in her plan, Samantha dropped from the back of the building and made her way to the plaza, brushing her hair to the side and making sure her handgun was safely hidden at the back of her cargo pants.

She tried her best to give a realistic smile and approached the nearest soldier. His assault rifle was silver, blue, and very shiny. The ingredients to something very expensive.

"Hello,"

Samantha groaned internally and immediately. Her voice was monotone and her greeting was just was robotic. Add that to the fake smile, and she was the least conspicuous person in the entire planet.

"I've always wanted to meet a Federation officer in person."

She said, extending an open left hand forward. This wasn't really a lie, so it was easier to say while keeping her facade.

"Uh...alright?"

The solder awkwardly shook her hand, giving her the perfect opportunity to take him by surprise. She suddenly and violently dug her right fist into his stomach, forcing him to bend over and release the rifle. Before anyone could react, she lifted the weapon and slung it over shoulders, already turning to sprint.

 _ **BZOOM BZOOM BZOOM**_

She could feel the rifle blasts chase her ankles, running as fast as she could. The adrenaline pumped in her veins as she dodged rifle fire, shoved people away and snuck into narrow passageways to try to lose them. However, the Federation had employed enough soldiers to take care of one girl, no matter how fast she was.

"Stop!"

As Samantha left an alley, a soldier seemingly appeared from nowhere and put his fists up.

' _Looks like they've been ordered to not shoot me. Now why would they do that?'_

Samantha thought to herself. She was lucky, but not stupid. Instead of stopping, she charged straight at his legs. Wrestling was one of the many things she learned during her 8 years of solitude. In a quick and swift flash of movement, she toppled him to the ground, put him in a lock position and then broke his arm before getting up and continuing her sprint.

"Hold it!"

Another soldier popping out from the left. No time to lose.

Samantha jabbed to the right, forcing the soldier to block high quickly. He didn't even have time to blink before she followed it up with a strong kick to the gut, breaking his guard. For good measure, she then slammed his face onto her knee, dirtying her cargo pants with his blood.

' _Almost there.'_

She panted, looking to an alleyway at the end of street. At the end of this alley was a manhole that lead to the sewers, where she could either hide or flee to another part of the city. She normally wouldn't take this route because of the smell, but she prioritised her head over her nose.

"You're not going anywhere."

One last soldier ran to cover this alley, knowing her plan. It was safe to assume the Federation also had access to Sector 47's layout.

"I go where I want to go."

She muttered with an edge of confidence and hate, clenching her fists.

The soldier tried a left jab but he was much slower than Samantha, who dodged to the side and whacked him in the head as hard as she could with the assault rifle. The soldier fell to the ground with a satisfying _clunk_ , knocked out cold.

Smiling, she headed to the manhole in a victorious jog. She'd done it. She had stolen from the Federation, avoided their fire and defeated three of their soldiers in unarmed combat. On top of that, she would be able sell the rifle and live off the money for months.

" **No."**

The word that woke Samantha from her daydreams was spoken by a low yet loud voice, naturally intimidating and powerful. She stopped in her tracks to look at the creature before her.

Clad in a Galactic Federation commander's uniform and countless stars on his shoulder, the beast-man from the plaza stared down at her with his dark red eyes. His muscles were bigger than her head and his size was double hers. She eventually recognized his species as one of the inhabitants of Jamoru. They were humanoid, but were closer to a tiger or a gorilla in body. They had human intelligence but with the strength of an animal, which caused other species of the galaxy to wage wars against them. For a long time, their species was deemed inferior by the Federation and weren't allowed to vote on intergalactic matters. She heard this all changed when a Jamorian named Mauk enlisted in the army. Wait, could this be…

" **I am commander Mauk. I'd like to know your name, young girl."**

She did well against the human soldiers, but there was no way she was fighting this behemoth of a man. Grudgingly, Samantha brushed aside her hair and said:

"Samantha. Never had a family."

Suddenly, the commander's visage of anger turned to one of surprise and incredulity.

" **No...not after all this time…"**

Samantha frowned, looking past Mauk to find the manhole.

"What? Aren't you going to throw me in jail or something?"

She knew she probably didn't want to be disrespectful to the tiger-man and that suggesting that she be jailed wasn't a good idea either, but she was nervous and wanted to look like she wasn't.

" **Perhaps not...hand over the weapon."**

From the long black cape emerged a hand that made the rifle look like a soda can. Samantha gulped and reluctantly returned the firearm.

The commander quickly tapped on a device latched onto his forearm, making a small ship appear from behind several buildings and land gently in front of them.

" **We're taking a trip."**

Samantha stood between the Jamorian and the Federation aircraft, mad at herself for even thinking of stealing from the Federation. It was too good to be true…

As they boarded the ship, the commander muttered a bunch of commands into his earpiece, darting his eyes between his captive and the wounded soldiers on the ground. The ship rose on its own and started moving forwards immediately, away from Samantha's home.

She was about to ask where she was being taken when she noticed the view from above. All of a sudden, her eyes widened and took in everything she hadn't seen before. The buildings went on for miles until they hit a vast blue body of water Samantha could only guess was a lake or an ocean. She instantly spotted the abandoned 49th Sector, victim of Kriken terrorism and ruin. Then she found the much richer 48th Sector, where the buildings were silver instead of gray and the lights were bright instead of dim. The other sectors were there, although she had no clue which was which. On the other side, away from all of them, stood the enormous Galactic Federation headquarters, with smaller towers and buildings around it. She could see where Sector 47's money went: to the countless flying vehicles, the bright neon signs, the silver towers, the ridiculous size of the Federation's headquarters, it was all there.

" **We're here."**

Commander Mauk announced the words with a mix of discontent and anxiety. Before the airship fully landed, he also turned to her and pointed a giant sharp finger at her.

" **And I swear, if you try anything,** _ **anything**_ **at all, I will make sure you spend the rest of your days in a gray room smaller than this ship."**

This would normally scare the living daylights out of anyone else, but Samantha found the ship to be much more spacious than her actual home and she was more scared of his razor-sharp claws.

Mauk held onto her forearm as they walked across a large and clean white plaza, where only a few people walked around in elegant clothes and paid no mind to the Jamorian and his human companion. To the left of the plaza was a shimmering lake filled with various creatures Samantha had never seen before, and to the right was a street that separated the plaza from one of the Federation HQ entrances. At the end of the plaza, where they were headed, was a spherical building that towered over even the monstrous Mauk. Over the front doors was a clean sign that read:

 _ **FEDERATION BANK**_

And above that, a symbol that seemed to be a handshake between two humans in a circle.

"A bank?"

Samantha frowned up at the creature that suddenly wasn't so scary anymore.

" **We're going to do a test."**

He answered, not bothering to look at her.

" **If you fail, you go to jail."**

Samantha's mind whirled with a million questions. Why did Mauk suddenly recognize her even though she's never seen him before? Why would she be free of theft assault charges by just beating a test? Why is the test in a bank? What kind of test would that be?

Did he make that sentence rhyme on purpose?

The front doors swung open at Mauk's lightest touch, revealing a vast hall with dozens of tables and even more people mumbling over them. It looked like a cross between a library and a museum, with an even smaller tolerance for loud noises. Samantha's worn combat boots made echoes as they stepped further inside, dirtying the pristine marble floor. After rows and rows of identical desks and mumbling people, they finally got to the end, where a man stood with his hands joined behind him. He had the cleanest white suit Samantha had ever seen, with combed black hair that glistened under the lights and a moustache that looked like it was taken care of by professionals.

"Commander Mauk! What a pleasure it is to see you today. Might I ask the reason for your visit?"

The Jamorian stepped aside to reveal Samantha, who looked completely puzzled and incredibly dirty compared to everyone else in the room.

" **I need to access Vault 1986."**

The man's eyes widened at both her state of hygiene and Mauk's words.

"Sir, a-are you sure? She doesn't really look-"

" **That's what I'm here to find out."**

The man reluctantly gestured to the right corner, where two large doors opened. Mauk and Samantha, now accompanied by the cleanest man on the planet, ventured past the doors to find a golden hall that seemed to stretch on forever. At each side of the hall were rows and rows of numbered doors with hand insignias on them.

"What are the symbols for?"  
Samantha asked Mauk, who didn't answer. Instead, the man in the suit explained:

"The doors can only be opened by those that have the same DNA as the person who paid for that vault or the people on that person's list. Once you place your hand on the insignia, you get pricked by a small needle and your DNA is processed. If it matches, the doors open. If not, we get alerted. The vaults are all made of the most resilient metal in the galaxy, which can only be pierced through by extremely powerful machines that are just impossible to sneak through those doors. Very expensive metal, I might add."

After a long walk, they finally arrived at the vault marked 1986. Mauk and the man stood behind her, as if expecting her to open a vault she never paid for. Suddenly, it all became clear in her head. _This_ was the test? How was she supposed to succeed?

"How am I supposed to open it if I never paid for it? I never even knew these things existed!"

She turned around at them with en edge to her voice.

"The person who owns this vault died a long time ago and left only one person on her list."

Samantha frowned, completely baffled by the idea.

" _Me?_ "

She scoffed, turning to the hand shape on the door and then back to the people behind her.

" **Perhaps."**

Mauk answered sternly.

"Hopefully not…"

The man whispered to himself.

Samantha tried to figure out how any of this could make sense. She never knew anyone who had gone beyond Sector 47 except for Kreatz, but he made a point of hating banks. She still remembered his rants on the Federation and their operations…

" **Do it."**

Mauk narrowed his eyes, his arms crossed and his tone impatient.

Samantha shook her head, sighed, and placed her right hand on the symbol. Maybe if it opened she'd be able to go free. She felt a sharp pain on her palm upon contact and the symbol dissappeared. She expected it to stay still and flash red, to sound a loud alarm or something. Instead, the doors opened slowly to reveal a huge room full of mysterious artifacts and mountains of Credits. Samantha's eyes took a second to adjust to the sudden flash of light, but they eventually got used to it and let her look to the very end of the room, where two words were written into the wall in fancy letters:

 _ **Samus Aran**_


	2. Return of Aran

**II: Return of Aran**

Samantha quickly spun around to meet Mauk's eyes, which were now wide in amazement. The man in the suit was equally surprised, but not nearly as enthusiastic about it.

"Samantha Aran..."

The commander uttered the words as if they were a curse.

The young girl in question still hadn't fully recovered from the revelation. This was the reason she had no parents. This was the reason her identity was kept a secret. This was the reason she was so skilled at combat.

'Samantha Aran.'

She repeated the name over and over in her head, receiving for the first time the feeling of having a last name, of being part of a family. Suddenly her theories about Samus Aran being propaganda disappeared, replaced by images of her performing heroic deeds in her shining armor and blasting Space Pirates in the face. This was her mother. She then remembered her memory of the woman carrying her in her arms, singing a strange tune. That was Samus Aran. She had the galaxy's strongest bounty hunter as a mother.

 **"Well?"**

Mauk's loud voice snapped Samantha back into reality.

"Uh..."

He expected her to go inside, but she was still too dazzled by the name at the back of the room.

Nervous, she gulped and slowly stepped into the vault that belonged to her mother. The front was filled to the brim with bizarre artifacts from different planets and large fangs, probably from the many monsters she defeated. To the left, a wall was adorned with too many different weapons to count. Samantha could recognize certain things, like Super Missiles and Power Bombs, but others were unknown to her. Finally, at the other side of the room, a large mural that contained nothing but a strange drawing of a large red/orange creature holding a turquoise sphere. There were four blue circles around it as well.

"Dear lord…"

The man in the suit was the first to speak, even though he never set foot in the vault.

"Samus' incredibly vast armory. I wonder if this is where she kept the suit?"

Samantha frowned at the man's question.

"Her suit? Didn't she have it on when she died?"

He exchanged worried looks with Mauk before looking at the ground.

"Well…" He started, eyes still shifting. "I, like most people, don't really know the circumstances of your mother's death, but I've heard that she was not wearing it at the moment."

Samantha's frown sunk lower down her face as she turned instead to Mauk.

 **"I can tell you someday."** He assured her. **"But not today. Too many things have happened at once already."**

But the new heir to the vault could not take no for an answer. Now that she knew who her mother was, she would never let go. For once, something apart from survival mattered to her.

"Don't bullshit me, Mauk, that was my mother. Tell me what happened."

The commander raised a thick eyebrow and crossed his arms, ignoring the fact that Samantha had grabbed his suit.

 **"Do not think me your enemy, Samantha. I was a very close friend of your mother and I want nothing else than to give her child the best there is to offer. I just don't think it is wise to cloud your head with the situation of your mother's sad demise."**

Samantha shook her head and let go of his suit.

"My head is just fine. It would be better if I knew why the hell I grew up without her."

Mauk rolled his eyes and sighed.

 **"It had been about a year since the death of your father. We'll get to him another time."**

Mauk said, seeing her open her mouth to ask again.

 **"To put it simply, the Space Pirates acquired a new power that nobody had ever encountered before. The first time it was used, it killed your father. I presume you had only been a few months old at the time. Samus, of course, sprung to action in defense of the galaxy. In a little less than a year, the Pirates grew stronger and stronger, and the Federation could no longer keep up. Even Samus would have found it hopeless, if not for you. You reminded her of what was at stake, and made her realize what she would give for you to live. At the peak of their strength, this power had given them the ability to revive the dead and make them even stronger. Samus alone had to face her greatest enemies, the ones she had already beat before. In a feat of nearly impossible prowess, she managed to defeat them all aboard their ship. Mother Brain, Kraid, Phantoon, Nightmare, even the Queen Metroid. Ultimately, it came down to her and the new all-powerful Ridley. She was already on the verge of death. She had sustained fatal wounds even before facing Ridley. We know all this because she was communicating with the Federation at the time. Eventually, right as she was fighting her nemesis, we managed to connect to the Pirate ship and broadcast from their cameras. We saw her die."**

Even through his powerful and low tone, Samantha could tell his voice was cracking. Even his flaring red eyes showed a deep sadness that could not be faked.

 **"She blew Ridley apart, but ended with his tail driven through her stomach. It was at that moment that her armor flickered away and she was left in her Zero Suit. The source of their power was no more and the ship, like all Pirate ships do when they're damaged, had started its self-destruct sequence. Even to the very end, the cameras were still functional, so we saw her final moments with painful clarity. While bleeding, she stared out the window and gazed into the deep space outside. It was then, at the final five seconds, that she looked upon the stars and smiled. She died as she lived: Samus Aran, Galactic Warrior."**

Once again, Samantha's head head rumbled with a thousand thoughts and questions. She wanted to feel sad about her mother's death, but she didn't know her well enough to lament her loss. It was a strange feeling, somehow more empty than never knowing her parents at all. Did she leave her with Kreatz because she knew she wasn't coming back? Were her final thoughts about her daughter? Was that why she smiled? Was she sad that she couldn't raise her or happy that she was safe?

"What happened to this power?"

Samantha asked firmly.

 **"It was destroyed with the ship and nothing like it has been seen ever since. The Pirates may be as relentless as ever, but they're not all-powerful anymore."**

"So...what about the suit?"

Mauk glanced at the man outside the vault.

 **"Only the few that were close to her know how it works. As one of those few, I can tell you that it's gone. Contrary to what many people think, her suit doesn't teleport instantly, it simply appears and disappears at will. Now come, there's still much to see."**

As the two walked out the vault and the door closed, Samantha stared back at everything that used to belong to Samus and wondered what she'd do with it. She also wondered what would happen now. Mauk knew for sure that she was Samus' heir and the vault was opened, but he didn't take anything. What was he after, exactly? He had mentioned giving "the best to offer" to Samantha, but she didn't know what that meant.

The pair exited the bank and headed left, towards the gigantic building that Samantha guessed was the Federation Headquarters.

 **"You were there this morning, weren't you?"**

"Huh?"

Samantha's head spun to look up at the commander.

 **"You were one of the people watching from the rooftops."**

She frowned.

"One of? I wasn't the only one?"

Mauk answered with only a smile, opening the door to the inside.

 **"We're Federation officers. I don't think there's a single inhabitant of Sector 47 that can hide from us. The other one was a little harder to spot, as they used a low-tech cloaking device."**

 _'Great.'_ She thought. _'Not only did I get caught hiding, I also didn't find the other one.'_

 **"If you were there, that means you heard my speech."**

Samantha rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking down at the blue carpet that covered the floor inside the HQ.

"Yeah. Great speech."

 **"Sarcasm was something your mother only reserved for her friends, does that mean you don't hate me?"**

This time she chose to stay quiet. Mauk chuckled to himself, remarking how similar mother and daughter were.

 **"Samus Aran had a way with silence. Oftentimes all she needed was to stay quiet and everyone around her would understand perfectly. None of my roaring or threatening scared people as much as Samus did when she said no words and instead stared at them with those piercing eyes of hers."**

Suddenly, once they reached the main hall, Mauk stopped and knelt to Samantha's level.

 **"You have those eyes."**

She blinked, unsure of what to say. Before she could think of an answer, Mauk rose again said:

 **"Welcome to the Galactic Federation."**

She then realized that they were at the center of a vast room with several doorways and elevators at the walls. The place was mostly white and gray, with a dark blue carpet running along the floor. In the heart, where they were standing, was the symbol of the Galactic Federation. People walked around with armor she had only ever heard about, holding lethal weapons at their sides. Soldiers and other employees of different races traversed the hall without so much as a glance her way.

 **"I only mentioned the speech because if you heard it, then you know the situation that we're in. The Space Pirates have had more than 15 years to recover and wreak havoc across the galaxy again. Without Samus, the Federation isn't strong enough to defend the galaxy on its own. We need another warrior. We need you, Samantha."**

The young girl in question blinked and darted her eyes between Mauk and the other soldiers. She was clearly taken aback by his words as she frowned and looked away, clenching her fists.

"You...need me? When has anyone ever needed me?"

She looked down at her palm, still dirty from parkouring around the city. No doubt it would have gotten dirtier if she went down the sewers.

"I get it. I'm the lost daughter of the greatest bounty hunter in existence and the galaxy is in danger. But I'm still just a girl from Sector 47. I never cared about Samus, I never cared about the galaxy, and I most definitely never cared about the Federation."

She shook her head, looking around at the armored soldiers.

"I don't belong here."

She made a move towards the exit corridor, but Mauk stopped her with a large hand on her shoulder.

 **"Maybe not. But you don't need to."**

Samantha turned around with another frown.

 **"Your mother never belonged here either, but the time she spent here was necessary for the wellbeing of the galaxy and her own training. The Chozos weren't exactly military experts. You-"**

"Chozos?"

She interrupted.

 **"Another story for another time. What I mean is you don't need to belong here, you just need to pass it by. For the Federation, for the galaxy, for your mother, and most importantly,"**

Mauk said, putting his hands on her shoulders.

 **"For you."**

Samantha Aran looked down and sighed, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed. The Federation wasn't exactly her dream home, but she wanted to get closer to her Samus. She needed to know more, to make the connection she never had. She wanted to be able to care about her the way a daughter would care about her mother. Samus cared enough about the galaxy to die for it. Shouldn't she do the same? Getting actual military training would be a bonus, seeing as she had always wanted to get better at fighting. Finally, Mauk's last words rang in her head.

 _'For you.'_

What did that mean? For her? What could this place ever give to her? What could she ever want out of it? Samantha didn't know, and it bothered her.

"If...If I stay here...will I be alone?"

The commander shook his head after a light chuckle.

 **"No, I will always be nearby. Besides, you'll have other cadets around your age to keep you company. I advise you make friends quickly. They're not easy to come by in this place."**

The blonde scoffed, blowing the hair strands off her face.

"Friends. I never had any and I don't think that'll change in here."

Mauk stood up and smiled, showing his large pointy teeth.

 **"Samus Aran claimed she never had any friends either, and yet here I am. You have no way of knowing what's in your future, so it's best you keep a positive light. Come, I'll introduce you to your quarters."**

He gestured toward one of the elevators and extended his hand out.

Samantha stared at his palm and sighed, furrowing her brow and crossing her arms gain.

"I'm not holding your hand."


	3. Slingshot and Rope

**III: Slingshot and Rope:**

Samantha Aran awoke with a nagging headache the next morning. The idea of sleeping in her own room, on her own large bed and over her own comfy pillow was so foreign to her that her body seemed to have protested against it, like a sudden allergic reaction to something she had never encountered before. She slept in a relatively large room with her own personal closet, personal drawers and personal bed. She remembered she was somewhat irritated when Mauk mentioned she'd have to use the shared bathroom and showers at the end of the hall instead of having her own, but she was quickly distracted by her bed. She also wasn't fond of the pearl white walls, but the navy blue stripes going across them reminded her of the sky and she managed to convince Mauk to repaint the white parts orange.

It dawned upon her, as she groggily stepped off the edge of her mattress and rubbed her eyes vigorously, that this was the first time she lived in a proper bedroom since she was 8 years old. Not having to share or be constantly wary of unwanted visitors would certainly be a welcome change, but she wondered if all these gifts were really the product of generosity. She found that, most of the time, presents weren't given without a price.

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

The steely gray door opened to let in the massive frame of Commander Mauk, who suddenly made her spacious room look tiny in comparison.

"Why do you knock if you're going in anyways?"

Samantha asked, irritated. She was not a morning person.

" **Oh, my apologies. I'm not usually the one that wakes the cadets and I've never taken care of a child before. I'm here to advise you that the first day starts in about two hours. All cadets will present themselves at the Training Ground 01 on the left wing of the building with their weapon and/or armor and face a few easy tests to verify their abilities. They will then be introduced to the rest of the facilities and be shown to their bedrooms. I suggest you breakfast and shower now, so you're ready for the introduction."**

Samantha simply nodded and collected the clothes she was wearing the day before.

" **Do you not have any other clothes?"**

She frowned and answered:  
"No. I usually sleep in my underwear and spend the day in this. I wash it, of course."

Mauk was so visibly disgusted he actually took a step back and wrinkled his large nose.

"Ugh. That will not do at all. Head to the showers and I will bring you something."

The young girl rolled her eyes and dropped her old cargo pants, struggling to move past the commander. She heard the door close behind her and Mauk's heavy footsteps as she walked through the corridors of the Federation building, her thoughts already on the introduction to the cadets. The others would be around her age, no? Were the recruitments all done in Sector 47 or was it worldwide? Did they recruit people from other planets? Were there any requirements? Was there anyone in her new group that surpassed her in combat skills? Anyone who would threaten her?

 _BONK_

Her head descended from the clouds when she accidentally smacked herself against someone else she hadn't noticed before: a black-haired boy slightly older than her yet considerably smaller, dressed in a dark blue Federation uniform that's too big for him. A Federation-issued assault-rifle was holstered at his side.

"Xavi?"

"Sammy?"

His face turned red at her sight and he covered his own eyes before whispering:

"What the hell are you doing here!? And why are you in your underwear!?"

She shrugged and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I just woke up. Did you steal that suit?"

The young man stayed silent for a moment.

"Maybe…"

Samantha shook her head and looked past him to find the showers.

"The first meeting isn't for another two hours."

She said.

"Why would you sneak in before then?"

Still not unveiling his eyes, the boy once again whispered:

"I thought I could have an advantage by knowing the place before everyone else did. Besides, I needed a weapon."

It was then that Samantha realized she had no weapon herself. Her aim wasn't bad at all, but she had always preferred hand-to-hand combat and whenever she did use a gun, it was stolen from someone else. Now she was expected to bring her own and she had nothing at all.

"Right…"

"Do you know what happens if you don't bring a weapon?"

He mentioned, exasperated.

"You get a sucky Paralyzer. If you show up without a gun they'll give you this dinky stun gun that you have to charge up and instead of any cool melee weapon like a staff or a sword, you get a whip. I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna be the one that shows up with a slingshot and a rope."

He shivered and stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"You have fun parading around in your bikini. I'm gonna go try to find a plasma sword."

Finally, he stumbled around her and uncovered his eyes once his back was turned to her, trying his best to sneak around the hall. As he disappeared from view, Samantha sighed and entered the shower room.

Even with exceptional combat and survival skills, her ancestry and her new relationship with the commander, she was going to be the one with the slingshot and rope. She was going to be the one without a purpose, without a family and without a friend. As always, she was alone in this endeavour, and life had made it as hard as possible for her to succeed. Even Xavier Delenum, as stupid as he was, had a better chance because he could make friends fast and already had a weapon. A stolen weapon, but a deadly one nonetheless.

She dropped her dirty underwear and stepped under the showerhead. She immediately shivered at the initial cold burst of water, then relaxed when it warmed up. If there was anything Samantha hated more than hunger or thirst, it was cold. Thankfully, Sector 47 rarely received snow, even in winter. She used this time in the bath to think over what she would do at the training ground. She would show up in the clothes she would borrow from Mauk, without any weapon, and introduce herself to the rest of the cadets, who would most probably be better equipped and more confident than her. Still, Samantha was not the type to self-pity or give up easily. She didn't really need a weapon of her own, and she certainly didn't need a friend. After Kreatz left, she never had one and it never truly bothered her. In fact, she liked to think it was the reason she survived. Xavier had many friends, and not many stayed alive for as long as she did.

" **Samantha?"**

Mauk's voice echoed loudly across the room.

"Here."

She muttered, her voice barely louder than the water bathing her.

" **I will be waiting at the dining area near the left wing."**

The door closed in unison with the shower, as Samantha stepped out and quickly started drying herself with one of the towels. She spotted her new clothes placed neatly next to one of the sinks, mostly orange with light blue here and there. She frowned when she held it up and saw that it was a jumpsuit with a Galactic Federation logo on the left side of the chest. The number

 _ **#2111**_

was written over it.

* * *

"Isn't this the outfit the Federation gives to its prisoners?"  
Samantha asked at the table. She and Mauk were the only two in the room, but they could see the main hall through the window to their left. In sharp contrast to the rest of the facility, the cafeteria was almost purely white and not very spacious. Mauk had mentioned it was only for the cadets.

" **Well, yes."**

He explained.

" **The academy doesn't have uniforms and there's no reason for a military organization to have clothes that fit a 16 year-old girl, so that jumpsuit was the only thing I found. Not ideal, but now at least you don't have to go around wearing those dirty rags."**

Samantha furrowed her brow and crossed her arms, glancing between the prison suit and the commander.

"They weren't _that_ dirty."

" **Oh, they were."**

The young girl gave up and finished eating her eggs.

" **It also gives us a good alibi."**

Mauk continued.

" **We'll say you're an orphan delinquent we caught stealing from the Federation. We saw your potential and offered you a traineeship, which you agreed to in exchange for a home. It's barely a lie."**

Samantha looked to the uniformed Federation soldiers marching through the main hall.

"So I'm a prisoner you put in the program."

Mauk nodded, his mane shining under the bright lights.

"Fine. When's the introduction?"

The commander checked the clock behind him and answered:

" **Less than half an hour now. If there's anything you need to know before you begin, you should ask now."**

Samantha thought for a moment, then remembered her meeting with her fellow orphan from Sector 47.

"Can you give me a weapon? I don't have any and I heard that if you show up without one, they'll give you a Paralyzer and a whip."

Mauk turned his head, as if just now realizing something.

" **Where did you hear this?"**

The girl shrugged and turned to the main hall.

"Murmurs in the hall. Those soldiers used to be in the cadet program, right?"

He slowly nodded and stroked his beard, failing to meet her eyes.

" **Yes...what you heard is true..."**

He hesitated, carefully picking his words for whatever reason.

" **I cannot give you a weapon, and I implore you not to steal one before the meeting."**

Samantha frowned.

" **Your mother's skill,** _ **your**_ **skill, is not bound to some tool built to kill. It is bound only to you. Samus Aran's athleticism and Power Suit were given by the Chozos, but it was not what made her so powerful. It was her willpower, her intelligence, her ability to adapt to any situation and her determination that made her who she was. The Chozos could have given the suit to any other man or woman in the galaxy, but only she could have used it to its full potential. Even without it, she was a force to be reckoned with at hand-to-hand combat. A family trait, as I understand it."**

Mauk smiled, then gave a long sigh.

Samantha's face did not change.

"I get it. If I try hard enough, I can do anything. But Sam-"

She stopped, then took a deep breath before continuing:

"My mother made it through the academy using her Power Suit. I obviously don't have it, so what am I supposed to do? I get that you think I don't need it, but I'd rather not enter a gunfight with a rock."

Mauk had clear confliction on his face as he leaned on the table and rubbed his forehead, still not answering. Several moments of silence ensued as Samantha waited for a response.

" **I'm only trying to give you the same training your mother got. It is a problem that you don't have the Power Suit, but I don't want to give you anything your mother never used."**

The commander then looked upon the young girl, the same face as his old friend, and widened his eyes in realization. He stood up without a word and took his cape from his chair, saying:

" **Pick this up and head to the Training Ground 01. I believe I have something stored away for you."**

With that, he left hurriedly.

Samantha groaned and stared at her empty plate.

"I'll try to contain my excitement."

* * *

Training Ground 01 was fairly underwhelming. Samantha arrived at the massive room marked

 **TR01**

on the side and noticed the other cadets were already inside.

"Neat, right?"

Xavier came up to her, back in his usual black T-shirt and running pants.

"It's basically a giant, empty white rectangle. You know how the entire thing is tiled with squares everywhere? I overheard someone say the squares can come out of the ground or sink depending on what they're programmed to do."

He smiled, clearly proud of himself. Then, with a raised eyebrow:

"Is that a prison jumpsuit?"

" **Yes."**

Commander Mauk appeared from the left hall with a steel box that had a very complicated-looking lock on it.

"C-commander Mauk!"

Xavier tried his best at a military salute.

" **This here is a criminal that's changed her ways and is doing her part to aid humanity's fight against the Space Pirates. However, she is still not free, and will continue to answer for her crimes right here."**

He smiled as if it was obvious.

Xavier frowned at Samantha, who simply shrugged again.

" **Now if you'll excuse me, I have to scold this young girl for stealing from the kitchen again. Go."**

Confused but obedient, Xavier nodded and ran back to the group of cadets inside the room.

Finally, the commander turned to Samantha and opened the box. Inside was a steel-gray gun with a brown hilt and a few purple lights coming from the middle.

"This...looks like a modified Paralyzer."

Samantha muttered while taking out the weapon. She examined it, feeling its weight and checking its sights.

" **This was your mother's Paralyzer. She entrusted it to me the day she passed away. She modified it after an incident with a ship full of Space Pirates when she couldn't use her Power Suit."**

Samus' daughter clicked a button on the side and a long orange beam emerged, vibrating with energy and distorting the light around it. Mauk quickly pressed it again and the beam retracted.

" **On top of a much more powerful stun, it also includes a Plasma Whip. Be careful with it, as it burns anything it touches and the plasma is incredibly unstable. The longer it is out, the higher the chance it will overload the vents and explode. Nobody wants a plasma explosion."**

Samantha slowly nodded. She doubted it would be better than the weapons the other cadets have, but this one belonged to her mother and it could be used for many different situations.

"Thank you."

The words seemed alien coming out of her mouth, but she felt obliged to say them when she held Samus' Paralyzer.

" **The pleasure is mine. Just remember to use it wisely and don't let anyone know it belonged to Samus."**

Samantha nodded.

" _All participants of the 2111 cadet program are called to the Training Ground 01. Introductions will begin shortly."_

A robotic voice rang through the building.

Mauk closed the box and beckoned toward the group of cadets.

" **Your friends are waiting. I will be watching."**

He said before leaving. Samantha watched as his large cape disappeared from view and she was left alone in front of the arena. She took a deep breath, clutched her mother's Paralyzer and stepped forward.

* * *

AN: Sorry for the long wait and short chapter! I've been ridiculously busy with another non-fanfic story I'm writing and I haven't really had the time to work on this. Next chapter I'll introduce all the other cadets so stay tuned!


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